During his address Tuesday to members of the military in San Diego, President Donald Trump proposed creating a new branch of the military: the "Space Force."

He began by talking about how the U.S. will soon travel to Mars.

"You wouldn’t have been going to Mars if my opponent won, that I can tell you. You wouldn’t even be thinking about it," he said at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.

"My new national strategy for space recognizes that space is a warfighting domain just like the land, air and sea. We may even have a ‘Space Force,’ develop another one. Space Force. We have the Air Force, we’ll have the Space Force, we have the Army, the Navy.

"You know, I was saying it the other day, ‘cause we’re doing a tremendous amount of work in space, I said, ‘Maybe we need a new force. We’ll go with the Space Force,’ and I was not really serious and then they said what a great idea, maybe we’ll have to do that," he said, garnering laughs from the audience.

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Anti-Trump protesters hold up signs along Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills before the start of a rally at Beverly Gardens Park. President Donald Trump is in Southern California for his first visit since being elected president in 2016.
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De Le of San Diego, cheers during rally in support of President Trump a few miles form where President Trump will visits the border wall prototypes near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego, Calif., later in the day on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.
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Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church to protest during President Trump's visit to see border wall prototypes on Tuesday, Mar. 13, 2018. Church is located at 2020 Alaquinas Dr, San Ysidro, CA.
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Hundreds of protesters gather outside Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church to protest during President Trump's visit to see border wall prototypes on Tuesday, Mar. 13, 2018. Church is located at 2020 Alaquinas Dr, San Ysidro, CA.
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Hundreds of protesters gather outside Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church to protest during President Trump's visit to see border wall prototypes on Tuesday, Mar. 13, 2018. Church is located at 2020 Alaquinas Dr, San Ysidro, CA.
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Bill Sparks (left) and Sarah Garfield (right) hold a sign along with hundreds of protesters gathered outside Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church to protest during President Trump's visit to see border wall prototypes on Tuesday, Mar. 13, 2018. Church is located at 2020 Alaquinas Dr, San Ysidro, CA.
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Hundreds of protesters gather outside Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church to protest during President Trump's visit to see border wall prototypes on Tuesday, Mar. 13, 2018. Church is located at 2020 Alaquinas Dr, San Ysidro, CA.
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Nikki Desjardins joins with hundreds of protesters gathered outside Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church to protest during President Trump's visit to see border wall prototypes on Tuesday, Mar. 13, 2018. Church is located at 2020 Alaquinas Dr, San Ysidro, CA.
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Trump supporter Cameron Baker of San Diego, during a rally in support of President Trump a few miles from where President Trump visited the border wall prototypes near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego, Calif. Tuesday, March 13, 2018.
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Police back people out of the street during a rally in support of President Trump a few miles from where the president visited the border wall prototypes near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego, Calif. on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.
David Wallace/The Republic

People cheer during a rally in support of President Trump a few miles from where the president visited the border wall prototypes near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego, Calif. on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.
David Wallace/The Republic

People listen to speeches during a rally in support of President Trump a few miles from where President Trump visited the border wall prototypes near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego, Calif., on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.
David Wallace/The Republic

during a rally in support of President Trump a few miles form where President Trump visited the border wall prototypes near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego, Calif., later in the day on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.
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William Alfano of Riverside, Calif., and his son Michael Alfano, 6, during a rally in support of President Trump a few miles from the border wall prototypes near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego, Calif., on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.
David Wallace/The Republic

Mike Tucker (left) of Placentia, Calif., and Kira Innis of Los Angeles, listen to speeches during a rally in support of President Trump a few miles from the border wall prototypes near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego, Calif. on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.
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People cheer during a rally in support of the President Trump a few miles from the border wall prototypes near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego, Calif. on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.
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Kira Innis of Los Angeles, during a rally in support of President Trump a few miles from the border wall prototypes near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego, Calif. on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.
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Kira Innis of Los Angeles, during a rally in support of President Trump a few miles from the border wall prototypes near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego, Calif. on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.
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Mexican federal police officers stand guard on the Mexico side of the border on March 13, 2018, in Tijuana, Mexico. President Donald Trump visited the site of the border-wall prototypes, which can be seen in the background behind the wall.
Gregory Bull/Associated Press

Law enforcement is awaiting President Trump’s arrival at the entrance of the border wall prototypes. Lots of onlookers are behind the officers chanting in support or against President Trump on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.
Rafael Carranza/The Republic

Protesters hang signs on the border wall. One says “stop the massive deportations” in Spanish. The Military is guarding the prototypes on the U.S. side of the wall as a helicopter circles in the sky ahead of the president's visit to California on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.
Rebecca Plevin/Desert Sun

A protester holds up a sign during a rally against a scheduled visit by President Trump Tuesday, March 13, 2018, in San Diego. Protesters chanted, “No ban! No wall!” near the San Ysidro border crossing, where tens of thousands of people enter the U.S. daily from Tijuana, Mexico, many on their way to work or school in San Diego.
Kyusung Gong/AP

A crowd of protesters gather at the San Ysidro Border in San Diego Calif., including Judith Castro, a 27-year-old instructional aide at a school. Castro said, "My dad was deported in 2006, and Mom was deported in 2007. There’s a lot of mixed emotions. I had to learn how to take care of four other siblings. I want him to know that we don’t have money to go to a wall. We want the money to go to a better education system."
Nick Oza/The Republic

A crowd of protesters gather at the San Ysidro Border in San Diego Calif., including Judith Castro, a 27-year-old instructional aide at a school. Castro said, "My dad was deported in 2006, and Mom was deported in 2007. There’s a lot of mixed emotions. I had to learn how to take care of four other siblings. I want him to know that we don’t have money to go to a wall. We want the money to go to a better education system."
Nick Oza/The Republic

Judith Castro, a 27-year-old instructional aide at a school said, "My dad was deported in 2006, and Mom was deported in 2007. There’s a lot of mixed emotions. I had to learn how to take care of four other siblings. I want him to know that we don’t have money to go to a wall. We want the money to go to a better education system."
Nick Oza/The Republic

Estela Jimenez and Octavio Aguilar scream 'Build bridges! Not wall!' near San Ysidro Border during President Trump's visit to see border wall prototypes on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.
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Jules Luna screams'Build bridges! Not wall!'' as a crowd of protesters gather at the San Ysidro Border in San Diego Calif., to protest during President Trump's visit to see border wall prototypes.
Nick Oza/The Republic

Mexican federal police cordon off a street directly south of the border-wall prototypes in the Magisterial neighborhood of Tijuana, Mexico, in anticipation of President Donald Trump's visit to the area on March 13, 2018.
Omar Ornelas/Desert Sun

Mexican Federal Police cordon off a street directly south of the border wall prototypes in the Magisterial neighborhood of Tijuana, Mexico in anticipation of President's Trump's visit to the area.
Omar Ornelas/Desert Sun

About 40 people from the Hotel del Migrante Deportado, a hotel for deported migrants, are protesting by the border fence. They chanted “We don’t want the wall,” in Spanish on Tuesday, March 13, 2018, ahead of the president's visit to California.
Rebecca Plevin/Desert Sun

Mexican and American media climbed a ladder onto a semi-stable roof to get a view of the border wall prototypes on Tuesday, March 13, 2018, ahead of the president's visit to California.
Rebecca Plevin/Desert Sun

The border wall prototypes can be seen through the existing border wall from the Tijuana side. Border Patrol vans and other federal law enforcement are also present preparing for President Trump’s visit on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.
Rebecca Plevin/Desert Sun

Firefighters, the Marine Corps police and the CA Highway Patrol make their way to the #BorderWall prototypes siteon Tuesday, March 13, 2018, ahead of the president's visit to California.
Rafael Carranza/The Republic

People during a rally in support of President Trump a few miles from where President Trump will visit the border wall prototypes near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego, Calif., later in the day on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.
David Wallace/The Republic

People during a rally in support of President Trump a few miles from where President Trump will visit the border wall prototypes near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego, Calif., later in the day on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.
David Wallace/The Republic

Jacqueline Hackney (left) and her daughter, Tiffany Hackney, 13, (right) both of Corona, Calif., cheer during a rally in support of President Trump a few miles from where he will visit the border wall prototypes near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego, Calif., later in the day on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.
David Wallace/The Republic

Greg Brittain of Redland, Calif., during a rally in support of President Trump a few miles from where President Trump will visit the border wall prototypes near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego, Calif., later in the day on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.
David Wallace/The Republic

Loree Masonis of Ontario, Calif., cheers during a rally in support of President Trump a few miles from where President Trump will visit the border wall prototypes near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego, Calif., later in the day on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.
David Wallace/The Republic

Darlene Smith (left) of Orange County, Calif., dances during a rally in support of President Trump a few miles from where President Trump will visit the border wall prototypes near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego, Calif., later in the day on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.
David Wallace/The Republic

Lisa Collins of Orange County, Calif., waves a flag during a rally in support of President Trump a few miles from where President Trump will visit the border wall prototypes near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego, Calif., later in the day on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.
David Wallace/The Republic

After landing in San Diego, Trump will take a chopper to this municipal airport near the border wall prototypes. Customs said they’ll close the area from 11:30AM-3PM on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.
Rafael Carranza/The Republic

Retired teacher Catheryn Rathsam of San Diego says she thinks it doesn’t make sense ‘to spend billions of dollars on a wall when it could go to build our infrastructure'on Tuesday, March 13, 2018, ahead of the president's visit to California.
Ian James/Desert Sun

Behind the painted border wall are the 8 border wall prototypes. Mexican federal police have closed off about 3 blocks directly across from the prototypeson Tuesday, March 13, 2018, ahead of the president's visit to California.
Rebecca Plevin/Desert Sun

House and Senate negotiators ultimately decided not to create a new branch of the military as part of the annual Department of Defense authorization bill, but some analysts have said it still lays groundwork for its potential creation in the future.

Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson, who had opposed the creation of a Space Corps citing increased bureaucracy and expense, said Thursday she welcomed any move that would improve the integration of military readiness in outer space.

If it ever is established, a Space Corps would be sixth branch of the military (joining the Air Force, Army, Marines, Coast Guard and the Navy). The Air Force was broken out of the Army in 1947, the last time a new branch was created.